As we begin to walk past more and more New Yorkers enjoying al fresco sidewalk spritzes and enchanting wisteria begins to drape over NYC’s brownstones and townhouses, that can only mean one thing: summer is on its way–and a hotter and rainier one than usual at that. And if you’re worrying about how you’re going to fit all the fab summer activities into your days–you know, like bopping around at a free outdoor concert or sipping on cocktails on a rooftop–then don’t fear because later sunsets and longer days are here!
From September to December Mother Nature puts our mental health on the back burner and hits us with woefully early sunsets, making for shorter and darker days. This year Tuesday, January 21st was a big day for us as it was NYC’s first 5pm sunset of the year, and then we experienced our first 7pm sunset of the year on Thursday, March 13th (we skipped right over the 6pm sunset due to daylight saving). But get ready to pack your days with even more fun because even later sunsets are here!
The first 8pm sunset of the year in NYC will occur tonight, Friday, May 9th. The sun rose at 5:44am this morning, making for 14 hours and 15 minutes of daylight total.
From here onward, sunsets will happen later and later until the night of Wednesday, July 2nd when the sun sets at 8:30pm, one minute earlier than the night before. The latest sunsets of the year will occur at 8:31pm on the nights of Monday, June 23rd through Tuesday, July 1st.
And though we don’t even want to think about it right now, we’ll eventually make it to the Winter Solstice on Sunday, December 21st, which marks the shortest day of the year with the sun setting at 4:31pm and only nine hours and 15 minutes of daylight.
If you want to score the best viewing spot to soak in the first 8pm sunset, check out these 15 best spots to catch one (though we can’t promise these rain and clouds will clear up in time for us to enjoy it). Oh, and if you’re curious, NYC averages 2,656 hours of sunshine a year—here’s how it stacks up against America’s sunniest city.